New FAQ topic - Radio Install Aftermarket and others

[lndcruz]

Year of truck: 95

Radio installed: Kenwood dnx-5120

Removed factory Amp yes/no - why if no.: Unplugged

Cable harness - buy the Toyota one from BB or Circuit city or other: Best buy

work with existing speakers - even if you upgraded speakers: Polk audio front speakers with all the rest oem. Unplugged Factory sub. Alpine type r 12' sub with alpine amp.


Ease of install and steps. e.g., use factory bracket, connected to cable behind radio or removed amp and wired to those connectors, etc.: Easy as pie. No custom work at all.

How's it sound? Pretty good, but the rest of the stock speakers are terrible.

 

[ERG80]

1996

JVC KW-XR-810

factory amp disconnected .

Used a Scosche harness and the pigtail that came with the radio.

Works great with the pioneer speakers I installed.

Install was easy. No trimming of the dash and it reused the factory mounting brackets.

Sounds amazing and has many adjustments to tweak it.

I wouldn't do anything differently at this time. I really like this unit and the features it has.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/440257-jvc-kw-xr810-head-unit-installed.html

 

[96Cruiser]

1996 FZJ80
alpine CD [something]...had this a while, no ipod/usb but it works[wanting to either get a newer alpine with ipod/usb or MAYBE one of those scion alpines] theres some nice ones on ebay right now!
disconnected factory amp, used a toyota connector to alpine from a local stereo shop, found the "other" connector in the loom , BUT, and here is a key piece of info[at least for my 1996].....In that connector the main power wire was a tiny 22 guage line that would NOT run the alpine unit. What i did was run a nice 10 guage wire from the battery to behind the radio area, then put in a relay that was activated by the original key "on" 22 guage wire, so when key is on, i have a good 12v source to run the alpine.

front speakers upgraded but not rear doors yet
if/when i do change out to a new headunit, i will add a tap from the 10 guage wire to the cigarette lighter so i can can have a 12volt "always on" source for cellphone/etc.

thats about it for now

doug

 

[yoopercharged]

1996 LX 450

Alpine 9887, iPod control, KCA-400BT bluetooth adapter (hands free phone and connection to Droid for Pandora, music, etc.)

Removed factory Amp YES

Cable harness - none, wired directly

work with existing speakers - No

If you have an LX450 - Stock sub removed. Using Acoustic Elegance 15" Sub.

Ease of install and steps. Removed all factory stereo equipment. Installed MB Quart Q series 6 1/2 in front doors. Installed tweeters in A pillar. Not connected to rear door speakers. Using PPI A404 for front stage and PPI A1200 for subwoofer. 0 gauge wire run to rear, for amps. Amps mounted on right rear panel (near stock LC sub location).

How's it sound? Super, built for sound quality.

If single din, what did you put in the empty space. Scosche din pocket ~$10

Pic of finished product

After thoughts, what would you do different, go for one with aux input? MP3 capability? other?

Post up your solution.

 

[BirfMark]

1993 FZJ80

Just got done installing a Pioneer DEH-6300UB head unit from Crutchfield. I chose this one because it met all my requirements:

• Low price - only $149.99
• USB front with iPod control, and charging capability
• Auxiliary front input
• A display color that matched the OEM green dash lights. There's nothing worse than a bright red display in a green dash, imo.

Install went really well - Crutchfield supplied a wiring harness (their part number is 120701761) that I spliced into the Pioneer head unit. There are two harness pieces (plugs) that Crutchfield sent me, and they actually plugged into the extra grey connectors behind the radio, instead of the white one that was plugged into the radio. This way, I didn't touch the factory amp, and everything works the way it should & sounds great.

I did not use the metal sleeve that houses the head unit body like usual - the factory Toyota side brackets off the original stereo fit the new Pioneer chassis perfectly. All in all, the install took me about two hours, including removing the old unit and putting everything back together. The only things I needed that weren't supplied were the wiring connectors (butt or solder & shrink wrap, your choice) and four screws needed to mount the Toyota stereo brackets to the chassis of the Pioneer head unit.

I didn't take any pictures with everything torn apart, but here's a couple cool pics of the display - I love how customizable it is! You can choose whatever color you want for the buttons, and a different (or the same) color for the display:

There's also some reds, pinks & purples available, or you can completely customize the RGB of the display.

 

[AndrewInf]

Looks good BirfMark, I went with the lower-end cousin of your head unit, the DEH-4300UB, and it worked out great. 30 seconds and I'd dialed in the colors to exactly match OEM lime-green, and it sounds great too.

 

[wareagleash]

I'm also big on matching the lights so thanks for the post - what did you do about the din below the radio?

 

[retrofive]

I'm also big on matching the lights so thanks for the post - what did you do about the din below the radio?

I did what other have done and installed a Cobra CB there.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/479686-what-cb-radio-good.html#post6596159

(not my truck, first picture I found)

 

[SPECTRE]

Is there any way to change the display color on the scion radio to match the factory green color ?
Or close to it ?

 

[AndrewInf]

I'm also big on matching the lights so thanks for the post - what did you do about the din below the radio?

The kit I got from Crutchfield came with a little plastic cubby hole to fit the lower DIN slot.

 

[paleoguy]

Clarion CX501 HU and Metra 70-1761 cable harness installed in 1995 FZJ80.
(chose CX501 because it has USB/Ipod and AUX inputs on front/double din/under $200 at Amazon)

Did NOT remove or unplug factory amp because system is working fine with it left in (may remove when/if speakers are upgraded).

Simple install: used factory brackets, spliced Metra wires to new HU wires, plugged Metra adapters in to gray factory cables behind radio (abandoned white factory connector), did not disconnect amp connectors, did not use new HU trim piece because after HU install there is no top/bottom gap and <1/8" gap on sides, no surprises during install. Keeping the unused amp wires from behind the HU (toward steering wheel) eased getting the HU in place and aligned.

Sound is much improved even with stock speakers. I have tried out all of HU functions but Bluetooth and sat. adapter (I have a portable receiver) and they work fine. MP3 and portable sat. receiver worked through AUX in port. My 2005 Nano is not compatible but newer ones worked. No issues playing MP3s on USB thumb drives. Manual is not very informative but covers basics.

Also installed a GROM Ipod/USB/aux adapter in our '08 prerunner with a factory HU. I can now move the Ipod, USB and sat. radio between vehicles with minimal effort. Overall pleased with look and operation of the Clarion CX501. Thanks to everyone who posted on the topic, made my job easier.

 

[97FZJ80]

1. Year of truck- 97
2. Radio- Pioneer AVH-3200BT
3. Factory amp- Unplugged
4. Cable harness- car toys install kit
5. Works with existing speakers- Yes
6. Ease of install- Took a long time to run blue tooth mic and xm puck and rewire e-brake switch for dvd..but it was easy not first stereo install
7. Changes- Move bluetooth mic to drivers pillar

pics bt mic , xm puck above back hatch, radio

sorry for bad cell pics

 

[Wurkin]

1997 LX450

1st radio was a AVIC 900BT

Now something more simple, but modded. All for less than 35.00

Scion first gen. Used the wiring for AUX found earlier in this thread, plus replaced the cig lighter with USB and 3.6 audio.

Trolling Ebay for newer Scion model with ipod control for cheap.

 

[cevynt]

FJ Cruiser Head Unit INSTALLED in 1991 FJ80

So, I learned some very valuable info that I wish I had before my install. So I thought I would pass it on. First off the quoted post from photogod about taking out the factory amp is very important. Apparently a lot of head units with internal amps don't co operate well with the toyota factory amp so it has to go. The head unit I got from a 2007 FJ Cruiser was heating up outrageously until I bypassed the amp. Second off Toyota used the same wiring harness for the head unit for almost all of their vehicles from 1989 on. What this means is that most factory Toyota/Scion head units will literally plug right in and play(mine did). IMPORTANT: there are (3) plugs behind the head unit. Only one small one will be plugged into the stock Toyota head unit. The two plugs that are not being used are the ones that an aftermarket harness, or in my case the FJ Cruiser HU will plug into.

So, Here is what I did. And it was super easy, although a little time consuming.

1. I took out the glove box and took off the passenger side dash speaker cover right next to it. Under this cover you will see the speaker and two screws that hold the amp(which is mounted right behind the speaker by the way)

2. Remove the amp and note the three plugs that are plugged into it. One is small on one side by itself and wont be used and the other two are on the same side together and match the two behind the head unit that were not in use with the factory head unit.

3. Here is were you have a couple of options depending on what you are trying to accomplish. photogod's post says that he purchased the aftermarket wiring harness and plugged right into the two plugs coming out of the amp. Personally I chose to cut off the two plugs that went into the amp, cut off the two matching plugs behind the head unit leaving as much length as possible on them and wire them together with enough extra wire between them to make the plugs reach to the head unit. This is pretty easy since the wires are all color coded. You just get some wire, some crimp connectors and go to town.

So now you have two factory plugs behind the head unit without the troublesome factory amp in the way and you can either get a stock Toyota/Scion unit and plug right into it or buy a wiring harness(like Scosche) and put in an aftermarket HU of your choice.

Like I said this was super easy to do and works great. The most difficult part for me was trimming the plastic bezel to fit the FJ Cruiser HU.

It sounds pretty good with the factory speakers but the next step will be to upgrade them. I am also going to buy an Ipod adapter that plugs into the back of the head unit.

 

[mokanwarrior]

Please forgive my ignorance, but what is the point of modifying the factory harness if you are using a factory head unit? And once you did modify the harness where did you plug it in to. I'm trying to replace my factory head unit with aftermarket with as little intrusion as possible to factory harness.

 

[wesayso]

Please forgive my ignorance, but what is the point of modifying the factory harness if you are using a factory head unit? And once you did modify the harness where did you plug it in to. I'm trying to replace my factory head unit with aftermarket with as little intrusion as possible to factory harness.

I put an FJammer in my 97 LC with existing plugs, no cutting of wires at all. Disconnected the plugs at the LC amp, and everything works great. Now I just have to figure out how to wire an aux input into the FJammer.

 

[2 E L O]

Year of truck: 1996 LX450

Radio installed: Scion T1806 (color changing display + iPod integration)

Removed factory Amp yes/no - why if no: Disconnected, abandoned in place.

Cable harness: Metra 70-1761 (available at Best Buy for $20), Mobilistics WH-77 (available from Mobilistics for about $4)

Work with existing speakers - even if you upgraded speakers: Yes, original speakers.

If you have an LX450 - work with stock sub woofer: No.

Ease of install and steps. e.g., use factory bracket, connected to cable behind radio or removed amp and wired to those connectors, etc.: Uses factory bracket, some trimming of bezel required, abandoned amp and existing head unit connectors, had to extend factory harness from amp.

How's it sound?: The additional EQ capabilities enable it to sound much better than the factory system, even without the LX450 "sub" and tweeters.

Here is a complete writeup: https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/531547-definitive-scion-hu-into-lx-450-setup-thread.html

 

[jonheld]

Here's my writeup from several years back:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/218444-another-radio-thread-but-cheap-easy.html

1991 FJ80
Pioneer DEH-P7000BT
Super easy, no frills install.

Things changed since the original install:
The pocket below the radio is gone and my Kenwood 2M ham radio lives there.
I ran a USB extension cable to one of the coin holders on the center console from the back of the Pioneer unit. My ipod now comfortably lives in the center console and I can easily plug any USB device in.

 

[MontanaLX450]

So, this may be a bit of a newbie question, but what is the situation if I want to utilize my receiver's amp? It's got a Mosfet 50W in it, which is probably a bit better than the LX's stock amp . Sorry if this has been somewhat covered in one of these writeups, I'm fairly new to self-installing stereo equipment.

 

[Italianbred73]

I installed a Sony hu after Xmas, it had preamps outs and after amps out, if you want to use the factory amp you must use the preamps but if you want to use your ampouts then you must bypass the factory amp, I used the preouts and is working great. There is a lot of write-ups on how to bypass it.